Life already has you on crutches and you realize you dressed like your house? Ouch. Norway’s Gundelach though returns with a grooving piece after his debut EP almost a year ago. Garden neatly follows his miles deep bass lines but seemingly swapped the dark 80s vibes for a bit of a 90s singy boy group drive. Still infectious although Team Poule is more one for the 80s parts of life and the back end of this track certainly pulls it all into the eighties again. Who knows though, maybe the release to follow this one up takes it all in to the new millennium, stretching the decades, layering it up, it remains a mystery. Team Poule says, always more than meets the eye.

Photo credits to Simen Skari.

With Poule d’Or in its 8th year of existence (cheers), it is about time to expand our musical horizons a little bit. Eight years are a long time and Team Poule has aged at least as much. So from here on out, every now and then, a bit of a jingle and jangle will be thrown into the occasional morceau du jour, from piano led rag time and sweaty saxophone vibes to burly bass lines and banging bongo drums.

First off the bat is London’s Leifur James. Attached is his debut track Time – a layered mix of styles, melting jazz, soul and ambient influences. What’s most striking, he plays all the instruments himself, quite the orchestra. He knows time! Team Poule says, let’s see how this goes.

Lush mid-May vibes coming in hot and fresh from Canada’s breezy trio Men I Trust. The group has become a household name for mellow riffs, soothing vocals and mad sense for melodies and rhythms. You Deserve This might be their dreamiest bit yet, and one that can well take you through a warm night under the skies accompanied by a solid bottle of natural red. What are Men I Trust up to, might you wonder. Well, they have a show in Montreal lined up for this Friday if that is a corner of the Earth that you frequent. Team Poule says, straight from the hips this.

It’s been a while, but here it goes. A selected playlist of joyful tunes, to hold you aloft, to take you through the nights. It all begins with lovely Swedes of Azure Blue and their driving steel drums, a perfect companion for your twilight summer rides. Track two comes from Andrew Goldring out of Salt Lake City, lush riffs, lo fi aesthetics, all you need really. Up next, Toledo Ohio duo Bliss Nova share a track off their new EP. Then, Coastal Clouds, a one-man-show from Los Angeles complete with thumping beat and an easy guitar drive. Old Swedish mates Karl X Johan share their banging comeback track after that.

Norway’s Carl Louis shares a track off his brand new debut album, warm beats all around. Moving on, just as warm with mellow riffs by People Flavor, a quartet out of LA. Find the track attached below. Next up, a smooth dreamy jam by Patchwork Guilt from Bristol. Stockholm’s garage popper Melby serve a driving track after that off their new EP that will be out tomorrow. Inca Maps, a trio from London, share a dreamy, vast vocals driven pop song after that, attached below. UK 4-piece Leyendekker share their kinetic new single. Next, quite leisurely, Italians HAN curves out a new one from his EP which is out world wide tomorrow.

The next one comes from main man VILDE, a new track on his road to an album. Swedish duo Evil Astronaut drop an outer space jam after that. Next up warm beats and dreamy vocals by SQRD from Sweden. Malmö producer Bam Spacey continues the playlist, with loads of reverb and shimmering synth pads, singing about who knows what. UK alt poppers Febueder share another dreamer next, strong vocals and a delicate production. The playlist takes a poppy turn after that, with Brighton’s Thyla sharing their latest track and Sweden’s Tape Machines and Los Angeles’ Blondfire sharing intense pieces of work.

And there we are. Kick back and pump it up, the playlist is up on Soundcloud and – with those track available – on Spotify. Team Poule says, what a mess.

Did you know, that illegal sand mining is a 2bn dollar industry in India? Not sure where to go from there, but luckily German trio Ilgen-Nur are here to provide some fresh tunes. Carried by banging riffs, Ilgen’s powerful yet delicate voice tells stories of bags under your eyes and the struggle to stay awake, the struggle to leave the nest. The three of them just released a debut EP coldly titled No Emotions on Sunny Tapes, and have lined up not one but two shiny live dates for the occasion. This Saturday 20 May at Hamburgs Molotow, and the next day at Berghain Kantine in fair old Berlin. Listening through that EP makes you think, this is one to be seen performing live. Team Poule says, this one is gonna go lengths.